


Willow

by erenhelpus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-09-09
Packaged: 2018-04-17 21:52:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4682714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erenhelpus/pseuds/erenhelpus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiganshina Forest was rumored to be cursed.</p>
<p>So the story goes, humans had accidentally burned a good portion the forest down and were never forgiven by the spirits dwelling there.</p>
<p>To Levi, it was utter bullshit. When he meets Eren, though, he might just change his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Levi expertly weaved his way through the crowd, shoving aside those who blocked his way without remorse. Shiganshina was a generally self-sufficient farming village, but merchants had arrived that day with exotic fruits which grow best in a drier climate. The arrival of these items attracted people to the market street, making it a rather inconvenient day to run from the Military Police. Levi hadn't even done anything illegal this time—as his criminal reputation grew, he must be becoming more recognizable. He'd have to be more careful from now on.

While Levi had to maneuver his way through the street, the people hastily parted to allow the soldiers' passage. Military Police, the disgusting pigs, were known to be unforgiving and would abuse their power if given an excuse.

Levi turned right onto a less crowded road and started picking up speed. Before he could get far, however, he found himself tripping over something and stumbling to the ground. It gave a yelp, and Levi discovered that he hadn't tripped over an object, but a person.

"What's your problem?" an indignant voice demanded.

Levi glanced down and found himself staring into the brightest eyes he'd ever seen. The person who he'd fallen on was a young man who looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. His feet were bare, his hair was brown and mussed and his startling eyes were glowing with a green fire.

Ignoring the boy's indignant sputtering, Levi got to his feet to continue on his way.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" the vexed boy cried.

"I don't have time for this," Levi grunted.

The kid's nose scrunched up in irritation and he opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by shouting. The officers were catching up. When the boy spun around to find who was yelling so much, his expression changed and his eyes glimmered with fury.

"You're running for them? The Military police?" he questioned, annoyance forgotten and substituted with something new—something dangerous.

"Stay out if it," Levi warned. If the officers were to catch up right now, both of them would suffer the consequences. Levi would be apprehended and either hung for his crimes or thrown into prison to rot. The boy would be persecuted just for speaking to a criminal, along with any family or people who would try to defend him. The best thing for them to do was part ways and act as if they'd never met. Levi turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand tugging on his sleeve. Sighing in frustration, he twisted back to face the boy and growl, "Listen, kid—"

"They'll catch up if you keep going that way," he interrupted, his mouth set in a determined line.

Levi knew that there was truth behind his words. He had to disappear quickly or more officers would arrive and he would be arrested. With the guards breathing down his neck, though, an efficient escape wasn't likely to happen. All that the Military Police usually did was sit on their asses and abuse citizens when they were bored. Their persistence was a surprise, so he hadn't expected to have to run from them. Still, every second he spent conversing was a second wasted.

"I don't have time for this," Levi muttered again, yanking his arm away.

"Wait!" there it was again—that light in his eyes. "Follow me," with that, the boy was off, running back toward the market street.

Normally, given the situation, he would have ditched the kid without a second thought. However, the look in the boy's eyes made Levi pause. Initially, he had been angry about being trampled. When he saw the symbol of the Military Police, that anger had been amplified into a bitter, deep-rooted hatred. It wasn't an expression that Levi would have expected to see on a person so young, and it spoke volumes.

He followed the kid. The guards were just turning onto the road that the two were leaving from. They skidded to a halt in confusion when Levi came back from the way he'd gone. When he started continuing on his original path down the street, they recovered and began the pursuit once again.

When they reached the end of the road, the boy took a left turn and began leading Levi through the village. He was fast and light on his feet despite him having no shoes and the streets being littered with painful pebbles. He seemed to know Shiganshina well—definitely better than Levi, who had just been passing through. Even so, his knowledge and speed wasn't quite enough to lose the officers. Just as Levi was wondering weather or not the kid had a specific destination in mind, they took another right turn. Ahead was a line of trees signaling the entrance to Shiganshina Forest, and they were sprinting straight toward it.

There were legends about Shiganshina Forest. Roughly six years earlier, because the woods had apparently become overgrown, a prescribed fire had been set by the Military Police. What had started as a controlled burn, however, quickly escalated into what could have been a devastating wildfire. Luckily, the Scouting Legion had intervened and managed to douse the fire before the entire forest was charred. To Levi, it sounded ridiculous. The Scouts were soldiers, not firefighters. Regardless, rumors had spread about nature spirits being angered by the near-destruction of their home. Many of the village inhabitants actually believed them. In Levi's opinion, though, they were utter bullshit.

The boy led him into the trees and started down a winding path. Levi noticed that his hair was the same color as the fertile soil beneath their feet and that the vibrant greens of the forest's foliage reminded him of a certain pair of bright eyes. It was only a fleeting thought, though. There were more important matters at hand.

The boy made every twist and turn with practiced ease, his footsteps never faltering. The path was easy to follow and clearly defined. There was nothing blocking their way, no roots or rocks littering the ground to trip over. Despite having such a convenient trail, Levi could hear distressed and frustrated shouts coming from the officers behind them. They crashed through the underbrush like bulls in a china shop and their racket quickly began to fade into the distance. Soon enough, it disappeared altogether.

The path eventually widened out and ended at the edge of the forest. Before them, the land sloped down to an old dirt road. The boy slowed to a stop and turned to Levi, not out of breath in the slightest. He pointed ahead.

"That road," he explained, "leads to Karanese. It's less than a day's journey to the north."

Levi turned his attention in the direction that the boy had indicated. The sun was beginning to set, so he estimated that it would be nightfall by the time he reached the city. That was good; he was less likely to be recognized when cloaked in darkness.

Levi turned once again to ask for the name of the one who had helped him, only to pause in surprise.

The boy was gone.

\--

**-Three years later-**

_This damned forest._

Levi ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. He had never been one to get lost easily, but he'd been wandering through these woods for hours. The mission that he was on was an important one, too; the higher-ups had finally given the Legion permission to investigate cases of police terror. After years of overlooking the issue, something could finally be done about it. However, instead of studying the behavior of the Military Police stationed in Shiganshina, Levi was stuck studying the same trees over and over again in the forest.

It was a beautiful place, but he had seen enough of it. He'd been traveling for two days and was supposed to have arrived at the village by now. In order to reach his destination as soon as possible, Levi had set off at dawn. Now high in the sky, the sun was filtering through the leaves to create patterns on the forest floor.

His horse's hooves continued to leave indents on the ground until the sound of running water became audible. Soon enough, he came across a small, quickly-flowing stream. Figuring that when lost in an unfamiliar place, having access to water could be beneficial (though he cringed at the thought of how dirty it must be), he stayed close to it. Eventually, it came to a sudden curve and widened out into a pond. At the edge of the water stood an impressive weeping willow. The branches twisted far outward, reaching above the pond, and curtains of leaves that nearly brushed the surface hung from them. The image was reflected perfectly in the clear, still water. It was a breathtaking sight, almost like something out of a fairy tale.

Seeing that he was getting no where by trying to navigate his way through the forest, Levi ambled closer to the tree. Near the edge of the pond was a large rock and, refusing to dirty his clothes on the ground, he took a seat on it. His elbows rested on his knees as he leaned forward and tiredly gazed into the water. The pond was so clean and unclouded that he could that he could easily make out small fish darting around. For a few moments, he watched them. After two days of stressful traveling, it was a relief to have a minute of rest. He was watching two energetic fish circle each other when he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. A silhouette in the water, far bigger than anything residing in a pond should be, disappeared too quickly for him to make out any details. Levi's eyes narrowed and he stilled completely, scrutinizing the water. The fish seemed to be completely unperturbed by the creature and carried on swimming as normal. After a few minutes of tense observation, he shifted closer to the area where he'd seen it. As soon as he moved, though, the shadow in the water appeared again. It moved fast—faster than any normal pond-dweller could—and disappeared from view again, this time right below the edge of the pond where Levi sat. Cautiously, he leaned forward to peer into the surface, hand at the hilt of his blade, ready to draw at a moment's notice.

"Are you lost?" a sudden voice cut through the silence.

Levi whirled around, sword unsheathed and at the person's throat in a split second. After years of living on the streets, committing crimes simply for bread, fighting for survival on a daily basis, and training as a soldier, there wasn't much that could faze him. However, the face he was met with did. Levi found himself staring straight into the brightest eyes he'd ever seen—and this wasn't the first time he'd encountered them. At the end of his blade was a person who he'd never forgotten. Often he had wondered if the boy who'd helped him escape from the Military Police all those years ago was anything more than a figment of his imagination. Now, the answer to his question was staring at him with wide, startled eyes.

Slowly, Levi lowered his sword."It's you," he said.

Regarding him with suspicion, the boy raised a hand to his throat and took a cautionary step back. Though it had been three years, nothing about the kid had changed. He was the same size, he had the same tan complexion and youthful features, and even his feet were still bare.

Levi eyed him curiously. "Why do you look no different than you did before?"

"What are you talking about?" the bewildered boy asked, staring at him as if he had two heads.

It occurred to Levi that the kid might not recall their encounter. Three years had passed since that day. A lot could happen in that time—he himself had gone from thug to military hero. Although he was curious about the mystery boy, he debated weather confronting him was necessary. The past was in the past, and Levi needed to get to Shiganshina as soon as possible.

Still, something pressed him to inquire further.

"We've met before," he informed. "It was around three years ago."

Understanding dawned on the young man's face. "Oh. I didn't realize that you remembered it."

"You haven't answered my question," Levi remarked.

Gaining confidence from the fact that his head was still attached to his body, the boy quipped, "You haven't answered mine, either."

Levi raised a quizzical brow.

"Are you lost?"

A sigh escaped his lips before Levi responded, "Yes." Glancing around with a furrowed brow, he continued, "Probably because of all of these big-ass trees."

Taken aback by the blunt remark, the boy seemed unsure of how to respond. After a moment of hesitation, he gave a small chuckle.

"Are you heading for Shiganshina?" he inquired. "I can lead you there."

Levi nodded in approval. After fetching his horse, the boy led him through the forest once again—this time, though, they moved toward Shiganshina rather than away from it. As he guided his horse by her reins, a question that he hadn't gotten an answer to three years ago crossed Levi's mind again.

"What's your name?"

"Eren. What's yours?"

"Levi."

A comfortable silence ensued as they made their way to Shiganshina.

\--

Eren knew the forest just as well as he had before. The time they took to reach the village was only a fraction of the time that Levi had spent wandering through the woods. Shiganshina hadn't changed much since the last time he'd need there. It almost had an amiable atmosphere. Made mostly of dirt, roads wound through the close-knit wooden buildings. The air was pleasantly warm, with just enough of a breeze to rustle the leaves of the trees, and the sun was shining. However, upon spotting Levi's deep green military cloak, the people roaming the streets became anything but welcoming. One child eyed him curiously, only to be scolded by his mother and hastily led away. Presumably because of the Military Police, the citizens were wary of any type of authority. Levi's jaw clenched in loathing at the thought.

They paused in front of a shop labeled by a sign that read "Apothecary".

"I was on my way here to visit a friend," Eren began, "so if—"

A loud crash from inside the building cut him off. Whatever he'd meant to say was forgotten as the door swung open so violently that it slammed into the wall. A boy with blonde hair and frantic eyes stumbled out and nearly fell on Eren.

"Armin?" Eren exclaimed, placing a hand on either of the boy's shoulders to steady him.

Through his panic-stricken stuttering, Armin looked as if he could cry with relief when his eyes found Eren's face. After taking a deep breath in an attempt to pull himself together, he managed a few words. "The Military Police," he stammered, "th-they're attacking my grandfather!"

Before Eren had a chance to react, Levi was already shoving the door open. The sight that he was met with made his blood boil. An elderly man was sprawled on the floor in front of a counter. Papers were scattered and vials were shattered, as if the man had been dragged over the table. Blood seeped from a wound on his head where it must've hit the ground. Looming over him was a man donning a soldier's garb with the symbol of the Military Police printed on the back. Another uniformed man was ransacking the shop, tearing books and medicine bottles from shelves and tossing them to the floor.

A sickening crunch sounded when the first soldier lifted his leg and struck Armin's grandfather in the ribs with his foot. The man prepared to land another hit, but never got the chance. It took only a moment for Levi to grab him by the shoulder and swing a foot into the backs of his knees, causing him to crumple to the ground. After a kick to the temple, the man was out cold.

Levi was about to turn his attention to the other officer, but Eren beat him to it. The guard had been distracted by Levi's intervention, giving Eren time to gain leverage by grabbing both his arm and shoulder. Eren then flipped him to the ground, where he lay on his back with the wind knocked out of him.

Eren looked up to find Levi observing him appraisingly. Surprised by the attention, he returned the man's scrutiny with wide eyes. After a moment, Levi gave him a barley perceptible nod with what might have been an impressed gleam in his gaze.

Eren's focus was wrenched to the old man when Armin rushed to his grandfather's side.

"Grandpa," he cried, shaking the man's limp body, "Grandpa!"

There was no response. The sight of the bloody, unmoving body left a hollow feeling in Eren's chest. The air suddenly seemed heavy and suffocating.

He knew that Armin's grandfather was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't stay holed up in this place anymore!" Eren exclaimed, pacing back and forth.

It was the fourth day since the _incident_ and they were still staying in Armin's house, which was conjoined with the Apothecary. Over _seventy three hours_ had passed, and he hadn't left the building once. He had willingly spent the first day comforting Armin, the loss of his grandfather still fresh in mind. Eren didn't mind, in fact he'd be content to spend more time consoling his friend if it weren't for the fact that he wasn't _allowed_  to leave.

"You can and you will," Levi drawled, lounging on a desk chair with one arm thrown over the back of it. He'd already explained the situation once, and he wasn't going to repeat himself. Eren and his friend were both witnesses to a crime. However, they hadn't experienced just some misdemeanor. This wasn't a simple case of petty theft. This was a crime that the Military Police would kill to cover up—literally.

Eren had been satisfied with the information for a short while, but it hadn't lasted. Soon enough, he'd grown agitated from being cooped up in the Apothecary. Being forced to wait inside the building's walls wasn't something he took kindly to.

Shortly after the assault on Armin's grandfather, Levi had sent a letter explaining the event to the Commander of the Scouting Legion, Erwin Smith. Once Armin had recovered from the shock of debacle, he'd better explained what had happened. The officers had been angered by his grandfather, who'd refused to give them free tobacco from his shop's storage. Eren had worked very hard to conceal his rage for his friend's sake, and though Levi was also disgusted, he wasn't surprised. It was probable that the message wouldn't reach Erwin at headquarters for about two days, and a response would take at least two more. If all went well, the reply would arrive today. Until then, they had to sit tight and wait.

With an exasperated sigh, Eren fell back onto the bed that Armin was sitting on. "Nevermind the Military Police, Mikasa is going to murder me," he mumbled.

Armin gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

\--

That afternoon, the response arrived. It was signaled by a loud knocking at the door. In case on an attack, Levi ordered Eren and Armin to stay put in the room while he answered.

He descended a staircase to the main Apothecary. Thankfully, the scene had been cleaned up in the days following the murder. With the body shipped off to the morgue and the blood washed away, it was almost as if nothing had happened. On the day of the crime, more members of the Military Police had come to take the perpetrators away. Allegedly, they'd gone the the village jail where the killers would wait until further notice. However, Levi would bet his swords that they were all longing in the comfort of their homes without a care in the world.

As a precaution, Levi peered discreetly through a window by the door. Upon confirming that there was no threat, he opened the door to his squad. Four simultaneous greetings of "Sir!" met him.

"Headquarters has received your message, Captain," Erd reported.

"No shit," Levi said.

"Yeah, no shit," Auruo sneered.

Stepping aside and pulling the door open further, Levi let his squad into the room. He was about to fetch Eren and Armin when he was interrupted.

"Who are they?" Eren asked curiously.

Annoyed, Levi's eyebrow twitched as he turned to the boy standing at the bottom of the stairs. Armin emerged from the higher steps. "I'm sorry, sir. I tried to keep him from coming down," he apologized.

Levi let out a heavy sigh-something that he seemed to be doing often as of late. "Are you incapable of following the simplest orders?" Eren bristled at that. Before he could retort, Levi continued, "It doesn't matter this time. I was about to bring you down here anyway. In the future, though, I expect you to think before you act.

Auruo snorted, "stupid kid."

Petra smacked his arm. "You're not acting like the Captain, you're just acting like an jerk," she scolded. Turning to Eren and Armin, she continued, "I'm sorry about Auruo. Don't mind him. My name is Petra, it's nice to meet you both."

Crossing his arms, Levi leaned against the wall with a bored expression as he waited for everyone to introduce themselves. Armin, unsettled by the room where his relative had died, looked as if he might throw up. If so, he'd be cleaning it up himself.

Luckily, Armin managed to both shake hands and keep whatever food that was in his stomach down. When they finished, Levi asked, "what do the higher-ups have to say about this?"

"A hearing has been arranged to take place at Sina Court in three days' time, sir," Gunther reported. "All witnesses are to attend and testify."

Levi sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger. Eren's brow furrowed. "Sina is where the Military Police are stationed. There's no way that would be a fair trial."

"Exactly," Levi agreed, "It's a mock trial-the bastards will be acquitted and set free to waste air and beat more innocents.

Eren's fists clenched in rage. "No! They can't do that!"

"They can and they will. The most we can do to prevent it is attend the hearing," Levi concluded.

Eren opened his mouth to fume, but found nothing to say. Those bastards had _killed_  Armin's grandfather. They deserved to be punished—they _needed_ to be punished. Even so, Levi's words rang true. Eren gritted his teeth and scowled at the floor. He felt so _helpless_ , and he hated it.

"Is three days enough time to travel to Sina?" Armin inquired.

"Barley," Petra answered. "I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the trial was purposefully scheduled with such short notice."

Armin nodded comprehensively. "They don't want us to arrive in time. They want us to miss it."

"Which is why we're leaving as soon as possible. Go, pack whatever you need. Erd, Gunther, find horses for Eren and Armin," Levi instructed.

As the two soldiers left to carry out their orders, Eren spoke up. "I need to find my sister and explain what's going on," he said.

The Captain pushed himself off of the wall. "Not on your own. I'll go with you."

Eren nodded in agreement and led the way out the door.

\--

"What's your sister doing in the forest?" Levi inquired.

Eren's response was casual. "It's where she lives," he claimed, as if there was nothing questionable about a young woman living in supposedly cursed woods despite the close proximity of a village.

Though he was skeptical, Levi didn't press further. Eren had proven himself trustworthy multiple times—twice by leading him through this very forest and once by taking down an MP at the Apothecary.

He followed him into the trees.

A short hike brought them to a strikingly familiar place. Before them loomed a healthy weeping willow located beside a smooth-surfaced pond. It was the place they'd met at a few days earlier.

Eren strolled up to the edge of the pond and called out, "Hey, Mikasa!"

Levi raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing? There's no one-"

He trailed off when he caught sight of a silhouette—the same silhouette he'd seen the last time he was here—darting through the water. Instinctively, his hand found the hilt of his sword. The shadow came to a stop before Eren and cautiously, a head of dark hair broke the surface of the water.

"-here," Levi finished lamely.

"Eren," the person—a young woman—spoke. Her tone was warm and welcoming; she was pleased by the visit. However, her demeanor changed drastically once she caught sight of Levi. Silver eyes darkened and narrowed in suspicion. She swiftly climbed from the pool and took up a defensive stance between Levi and Eren. "Who are you?" she interrogated.

Levi was amazed that  _he_ was the one being questioned just after Eren had _summoned a person from the water._ "Who the fuck are _you_?" he countered.

With a hint of annoyance, Eren attempted to placate the girl. "Mikasa, it's fine! He's just the captain of the Scouting legion."

"He's _just_ the captain of the _Scouting Legion?_ " a bewildered Mikasa repeated.

Eren sighed and officially introduced them. "Levi, this is my sister, Mikasa. Mikasa, this is Levi."

The girl continued to eye Levi with distrust as he spoke, "Your sister lives in a pond?"

"I'm a water nymph," Mikasa deadpanned, as if she'd expected him to deduce as much by himself.

A silence ensued. Levi proceded to stare at them with his usual expression (though perhaps his eyebrows were slightly more furrowed). After a few moments, his lack of response seemed to make Eren uncomfortable. "And I'm a tree nymph," he blurted.

As if that would make the situation any easier to comprehend.

While Levi tried to figure out weather or not he was in some weird dream, Mikasa kept her glare trained on him. To anyone else, she'd likely be intimidating—her expression was cold, and she was rather tall with a confident presence. The effect, however, was lost on Levi.

Finally, he responded, "You're telling me that you're fairies."

Eren bristled at that. " _Nymphs_ ," he was quick to correct, "We're _nymphs_."

\--

The conversation following this revelation was rather uncomfortable. It consisted of an awkward Eren attempting to explain the concept of nymphs while his suspicious sister continued to watch Levi with hard, unblinking eyes. Though the Captain was originally skeptical, Eren's words did explain some things. The boy knew the layout of the forest like the back of his hand because he lived there, and the shadow in the water that couldn't possibly be a pond-dwelling fish was actually Mikasa. There was no denying it—he'd witnessed her rising from the water with his own eyes.

Once Levi had come to the conclusion that yes, this was happening and no, he was not asleep, they moved on to the subject of why they'd come to see Mikasa. If she'd seemed unfriendly before the news of Armin's grandfather was delivered, she was now downright _dangerous_. When she spoke, her voice was monotonous. "I'm coming with you."

Normally, Eren would protest that they could handle themselves, but he could sense the barley-concealed rage hidden under her words. In addition, he was surprised that Mikasa wasn't objecting to the journey all together—she was being more understanding than usual. At a time like this, Armin could use the support of his two closest friends. However, even though Eren wasn't opposed to his sister's presence, weather or not she came along wasn't for him to decide. He turned to the Captain.

Levi read the question in Eren's gaze and surprised himself by considering it. The answer should be obvious—if another person was added to the party, they'd need to go through the trouble to fetch another horse. Not only that, but a larger group would no doubt slow them down and they were already on a tight schedule. The real reason why he bothered contemplating it though, no matter how much he tried to deny it, was the silent hope found in the depths of Eren's eyes. Levi shouldn't care. It shouldn't matter to him weather or not some kid wants his sister to tag along with them. The answer should be no.

"Fine," Levi heard himself say.

_Dammit_.

Attempting to justify his decision, Levi reasoned that Eren and Armin both would be more comfortable with a friend accompanying them. Not to mention that the brunet had guided Levi through the forest twice before. Surely he owed him this.

His reasoning did nothing to explain the feeling of satisfaction in his chest caused by Eren's relieved expression.

\--

Excluding the business of procuring another horse, Mikasa didn't end up being the burden that Levi had expected of her. She was quiet and rode efficiently, sticking by her friends' sides.

Even with Eren's sense of direction allowing them to travel quicker than anticipated, Shiganshina Forest was vast. By sunset, the group was still a day's journey from the nearest inn, which was in Trost and was their next destination. When told that they would need to camp in the woods for the night, the trio handled the news well and without complaint. Levi supposed it was nothing new to Eren and Mikasa, and Armin, being friends with two nymphs, had no objections either.

Setting up the temporary camp went smoothly for the most part. Blankets were unpacked and laid out as makeshift beds and a schedule of who would keep watch for how long was formulated. When Petra and Auruo began gathering sticks and branches for a fire, though, Eren tensed. Other than Mikasa and Armin, Levi was the only one to notice. Despite Mikasa concernedly hovering close to her brother, the Captain approached. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Need to take a shit?"

"No, sir," Eren responded. Inwardly, he wondered if Levi had the ability to relate _anything_ to shit. "I just... Are they going to start a fire?"

"Yeah. What else would they be piling wood for?"

Eren continued to eye them wearily. "Right," he murmured.

\--

Eren couldn't sleep.

It was early spring, so the nights were still chilly. Temperature had nothing to do with his restlessness, though. In fact, the very thing that kept the cold air from biting at him was also the thing keeping him awake.

The first watch had gone to Levi. He'd claimed that he didn't sleep much, anyway, so there wasn't any point in swapping shifts. The others had insisted that he wake one of them and get some rest, but there was a suspicion amongst everyone that it wouldn't happen.

As to not alert the other of his wakefulness, Eren attempted to keep his shifting to a minimum. Both of them had their gazes fixed on the object of the nymph's uneasiness.

The small campfire danced and crackled. Its flames licked at the air and sent shadows flickering over those huddled around it. Fire reminded some people of warmth, of safety, of home.

It reminded Eren of death.

He continued to peer distrustfully at the burning branches. Perhaps he wasn't being as discreet as he thought he was, or perhaps Levi was more observant then he gave him credit for, but a low voice took Eren by surprise. "Can't sleep?"

The question was asked softly, taking into consideration those who were able to sleep, but suddenly enough to startle the brunet. He jerked a bit, wide eyes flying to Levi's face. Last time he'd checked, the man had been watching the fire. Now, though, his intense gray eyes were focused on Eren, causing his heart to speed up. "No," he answered.

Levi nodded in understanding and returned his attention to the flames. Eren continued to regard the other curiously. He didn't have any specific questions, though—he just wanted to know more about the stoic man.

The group's suspicions were confirmed; Levi didn't wake anyone to take the next watch. What they didn't expect was that he'd have Eren to accompany him.


	3. Chapter 3

The party set off again early the next morning along a trail cutting through the trees. After smothering the remaining embers of the fire, they re-packed any belongings, mounted their horses, and headed for Trost. Almost everything was just as it had been the day before—Erd and Gunther exchanged friendly banter with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. On occasion, Levi would chip in with a crass remark. Petra and Auruo bickered until the latter's horse took a particularly heavy step, causing him to bite his tongue (much to Petra's smug amusement).

Still, Eren couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between him and Levi. His curiosity from the night before lingered. At one point, he'd tried to subtly sneak a glimpse of the man only to find stormy eyes blatantly staring right back. Even after snapping his head forward and firmly fixing his eyes on the trail ahead, Eren continued to feel Levi's gaze burning into the back of his head.

For the most part, the group traveled without issue. It wasn't until they neared the edge of the forest that Eren sensed something was off. Doing his best not to draw any attention, he slowed his horse until he was trotting beside the Captain. He received a questioning glance.

"We're being followed," Eren explained in a low voice.

That caught Levi's attention. Discreetly, he glanced around only to find nothing. "How do you know?"

The nymph nearly scoffed, but refrained due to respect. "This is _my_ forest. I can tell when there's someone nearby."

Levi decided not to question Eren's weird nymph powers. Instead he asked, "Are they hostile?"

"They're close—close enough that everyone should have heard them by now. That means they must be sneaking around, so I'd say there's a good chance that they are."

"Can you guess how many and in which direction they are?"

Eren paused for a moment to concentrate. The more he focused, though, the more stalkers he counted from all over. Grimly, he looked to the Captain. "There are more than ten and they have us surrounded."

Levi cursed. He took a breath to yell a warning to warn the rest of his squad, but he was too late. A faint snapping noise sounded and a projectile whistled through the air, lodging itself in the flank of Auruo's horse—an arrow.

The wounded steed collapsed. It took only a second for Levi's feet to hit the ground and for his swords to be drawn. He spared a glance to make sure that Auruo was unharmed before focusing his attention in the direction of the attackers. Another arrow whizzed by, narrowly missing his ear. "Auruo," Levi ordered, "stay here and keep an eye out." After receiving an affirmative _yes, sir_ he continued. "Eren, Armin, Mikasa, try to find some cover and don't get shot. We'll take care of this." Without waiting for a response, he took off. He reached the edge of the dirt path they'd been following and disappeared into the foliage, followed by Erd, Petra, and Gunther.

Auruo made a show of unsheathing his swords and taking up a fighting stance. "Don't worry, kids," he bragged. "I'm an elite soldier, chosen for the Special Operations Squad by Humanity's Strongest himsel—" being distracted by flaunting his weapons, he bit his tongue and effectively cut off his own speech.

There was no good place to take cover without heading for the trees. In doing so, they'd be running straight into the enemy. That left Auruo as their primary defense. Eren, however, wasn't satisfied with being defended. "If you think that I'm willing to sit around while everyone else fights, you're wrong," he said, dismounting his horse. Armin an Mikasa exchanged a look, but didn't bother trying to placate their friend.

"I disagree, brat," Auruo countered. "you're staying put. Captain's orders."

Eren gritted his teeth. The number of enemies that he could sense was growing. "You don"t know what we're up against. The rest of your squad is outnumbered even without us. We need to fight!"

"We can handle it. Have some faith in us."

Eren was about to retort when something else caught his attention. He felt more than he saw the rustle of leaves at the edge of the trail. "There!" he warned, pointing to the disturbance.

Auruo was quick to make the first move, not giving the attacker a chance to fire anymore arrows.When the soldier dashed for the underbrush to dispatch of them, Eren knew he'd found his chance. Without a second thought, he grabbed a dagger from his pack and darted for the woods—for the fight. He heard the crunch of feet on leaves behind him and knew that Armin and Mikasa were on his tail. Eren wanted to pause and let them know that they didn't have to follow him, but he knew it would be a waste of time. They'd come anyway.

Using his improved sense of direction, Eren managed to find a duo loitering near the path. Crouching behind a bush for cover, he observed them. One was a large man armed with a pair of swords and the other was a woman wielding a bow and a quiver of arrows. A closer look at the man's weapons had Eren's blood boiling. They were the standard swords issued by the military. It wasn't difficult to connect the dots—there were three military branches and only one had any reason to attack them. He greatly suspected that the Military Police were behind this.

At the sight of the woman drawing back the string of her loaded bow, Eren didn't hesitate. She was aiming toward the trail, where Auruo was. Gripping his knife, Eren lunged for her.

The man gave a shout of alarm, but the blade was already lodged in his partner's back. Eren retracted his knife and the woman crumpled to the ground. He spun to face his second opponent, but the man was charging before he could steady his footing. Eren narrowly evaded the slice of a sword. The attacker didn't have a chance to strike again; Mikasa made sure of it. Hefting a jagged rock in one hand, she bashed it into the back of his head and he dropped like a stone. "Are you alright?" she asked. Eren nodded affirmatively.

Armin inspected the swords of the unmoving man before looking to Mikasa and Eren. From the grim looks their faces, Eren could tell that his friends had come to the same conclusion he had—they were up against the Military Police.

Before anyone could voice the thought, Eren tensed at the feeling of someone approaching. Armin immediately understood his body language. "How many?"

"Just one."

They all turned in the direction of Eren's stare. Thankfully, the person who appeared was no enemy. Red-stained swords angled away from him to keep the blood from dripping onto his clothes, Captain Levi approached. Narrowed gaze fixed on them, he drawled, "Didn't I tell you to stay put?"

"Yes, sir," Eren affirmed stiffly.

Levi didn't push the subject any further. Instead, he took a moment to survey the immobile bodies on the ground before appraising the trio. "Did you do this?"

Somehow, the question seemed to be directed at Eren. "I stabbed the archer. Mikasa took out the swordsman," he explained. Noticing that none of the other squad members had joined them, he asked, "Where is everyone else?"

"We were separated. There're too many of these bastards." he nudged the fallen swordsman to emphasize his point. "If one goes down, another just takes its place. We need to regroup and get out of here. It would be best to hightail it out of the forest so that they can't hide in the trees." He paused to consider their plan of action. "Armin, Mikasa, head back to Auruo and help him bring the horses into the forest for cover. Then stick with him until the rest of us join you. Eren, you'll come with me. Use your sixth sense or whatever the fuck it is to find Perta, Erd, and Gunther."

Just as Eren was about to give another "yes, sir," Mikasa stepped in front of him. "No," she said firmly, "I'm staying with my brother."

Eren seethed. "Mikasa," he hissed, "I can take care I myself." When she made to protest, he continued. "Auruo is out there in the open where archers could easily get to him. You and Armin need to stick together and go help him."

Mikasa looked like she still wanted to argue, but she refrained. Sighing, she murmured, "Stay safe."

Flashing a smile, Eren gave her shoulder a playful shove. "I'll be fine," he assured.

Moving to stand by Levi, he closed his eyes and concentrated on pinpointing the locations of their allies. "They're in that direction," he said, pointing away from the trail and deeper into the forest.

"Let's move." Without waiting for an response, Levi was off. Eren was quick to catch up.

Mikasa saw them off until Armin grabbed her hand and tugged her away.

\--

"There's someone coming from the right," Eren warned.

The enemy was felled by Levi's blade as quickly as he'd appeared. "How much farther do we need to go?" he questioned.

"There's still a good distance." As if he was looking at a compass, Eren could tell which direction the squad was in. Their presence wasn't very strong, though, so he know they had a ways to go.

Being focused on his main goal, Eren didn't notice a much more immediate presence until it was too late. Just as he began to shout a warning to Levi, a heavy weight tackled him. His ankle caught on a protruding root as he fell, causing it to twist painfully. When he hit the ground, his head smacked into a rock. Before anymore damage could be done, Levi grabbed the attacker, wrenched him off of Eren, and tossed him to the side. With a flash of silver, the forest floor was splattered red.

Clutching his head, Eren gritted his teeth in pain. He vaguely registered a hand resting on his shoulder, but was unable to focus on anything other than the ache splitting his skull.

"Eren, can you stand?" Levi's voice was calm, but the question was laced with an underlying urgency. Eren responded by groaning and curling in on himself.

Swearing under his breath, Levi cast a glance around. With the state he was in, Eren wouldn't be able to use his sense of direction or tell when they were about to be attacked. While he had no doubt that the enemies were no match for him, Levi had no idea where to go with Eren out of commission. He returned to the boy's side. "Eren, listen to me."

Chest heaving with deep breaths, Eren turned his pain-glazed gaze to meet Levi's. Even now, his eyes were a brilliant green.

"Can you stand?" Levi repeated.

Eren swallowed. Though he certainly didn't _feel_ like he could stand, he nodded yes. The simple movement caused his head to throb nastily, but he refused to be an inconvenience. No matter how much his body protested, he would _make_ himself stand.

Bracing his arms on the ground, Eren shifted his weight to his feet only to feel a sharp pang shoot through his left ankle. He stumbled, and the sudden movement caused a wave of nausea to wash over him. 

With all of his struggling, Levi concluded that it would be best if Eren didn't get up. If standing was difficult, walking would be hell. More importantly, he needed to take it easy in order to recover. It was possible that he could have a concussion. Levi went to assess the severity of Eren's head injury, but he was interrupted by an ambush of two more people. With a huff of annoyance, he easily sliced them down. This place was too dangerous for someone too hurt to stand. They needed to relocate.

Levi dropped to one knee, grabbed Eren by the waist, and hoisted him over one shoulder. The boy cried out at a sudden bout of motion sickness and pain. Keeping one hand at Eren's hip to steady him, Levi stood. His other hand hovered near the hilt of his blade, ready to fight at a moment's notice. Taking Eren's nausea into consideration, he made an effort to move as smoothly as possible. The results were minimal. They needed to get to a safer place as soon as possible, and so Levi had to run. The jostling it caused for Eren made him groan.

"Try not to throw up on me," Levi grunted. He wasn't given an answer.

Though he didn't know where he was going, Levi knew getting lost wasn't something he had to worry about—not with the nymph slung over his shoulder. After putting a significant distance between themselves and any potential ambushes, he slowed to a stop. Gently, he set Eren down, propping his back against a tree. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Eren muttered, pressing a hand to his head. The pulsing ache there made him squeeze his eyes shut. At the feeling of cool fingers wrapping around his wrist, he jumped. Upon realizing that  it was only Levi, though, he relaxed a bit. His hand was tugged away from his head and the digits became tangled in his hair, roaming in search of the wound. The chill of Levi's fingers was a relief against Eren's burning skin. When his hand brushed against the spot that had impacted the rock, Eren flinched.

"At least it's not bleeding..." Levi murmured. He tilted the nymph's chin up until they were face-to-face. "Hey," he said, "look at me."

Eren's eyes blinked open to meet the Captain's gaze. If possible, his skin grew even hotter at their close proximity. His irises were even more intriguing up close, Levi noted, but they weren't what he was searching for at the moment. Instead, he focused on Eren's pupils. After a moment of studying them, Levi released the boy's chin and sat back.

"What was that for?" a bewildered Eren asked.

"Your pupils," Levi explained. "They're the same size."

"And that means...?"

"Hopefully, it means that you don't have a concussion. How are you feeling?"

His head still ached, but Eren disregarded it. "I'm fine, sir," he said. A detail he'd nearly forgotten suddenly came to mind. "Sir, the swords they were using—"

"They were working for the Military Police," Levi agreed.

Eren'a stomach churned and he felt the atmosphere become heavy.

"Are you able to locate the others?"

Thankful for the change in subject, Eren nodded determinedly and furrowed his brows in concentration. Finding the task more difficult than expected, he shut his eyes and focused harder.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Levi advised.

Eren shook his head. "I can do it," he mumbled distractedly. Once he gathered his thoughts, he finally managed to pinpoint the squad. To his relief, Armin and Mikasa were with them and the few attackers left were growing distant in retreat. The distance between the group and themselves surprised him. "They're far away... From our location, it would be faster to continue to Trost and meet up with them there." Had Levi really carried him so far?

The Captain nodded. His squad had faith in his abilities. Knowing that he could handle himself, they would proceed on their way to the trial rather than waste time searching for him. However, there was one loose cannon to consider. "Will your sister move on without you?"

The words made Eren cringe. "Armin will talk some sense into her." _Hopefully_.

Eren could feel himself being studied quizzically. He knew he didn't seem very convinced with his own words, but thankfully, Levi decided to trust him.

"Alright. Let's head out. Can you walk?"

Indignant, Eren gave a small huff. "Of course I can." Using the tree behind him for support, he pulled himself to his feet and smiled in triumph. Unfortunately, though, his victory was short-lived. When he took a step, his twisted ankle served as a harsh reminder that _no_ , he _couldn't_ stand. Levi caught him before he collapsed.

"If you can't walk, just say so. It'll be more efficient if I carry you rather than having you limp all the way to Trost," he said.

Eren sputtered, attempting to wean his weight away from Levi's support. " _Carry_ me? That's not necessary."

The hiss he emitted when putting pressure on his ankle proved otherwise. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Levi braced one arm behind Eren's knees and the other below his shoulder blades to scoop him up in one swift motion. Eren yelped as his feet left the ground without warning, his hands flying to Levi's shoulders for assurance that he wouldn't fall.

"Stay alert and let me know in advance if any threat comes near," Levi instructed. With that, they set off.

\--

When they finally reached Trost, some heads were turned. Eren was already mortified enough, but having other people _see_ him being carried had him hiding his face in his hands.

It was nightfall by the time they located the inn where, hopefully, the others would soon arrive. Once inside their rented room, Eren sprawled himself out on one of the two beds and groaned into the pillow. Levi watched him quizzically. Eren's blush reached the tips of his ears. "Are you really that embarrassed?" he asked.

" _Yes_ ," came the muffled response. Eren angled his head to peek at Levi and he could've sworn that he saw the corners of the man's lips lifting into an almost-smile. His heart thudded in his chest.

"Go to sleep," Levi told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
